To stay safe, it’s important to use and store cleaning and disinfecting products properly. The CDC has these tips:
- Keep cleaning products out of reach in homes with small children and pets.
- Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia–or any chemical other than water. This can create deadly gasses. (Note: Bleach can appear on ingredients lists as sodium hypochlorite).
- Just as you shouldn’t directly mix chemicals in a bottle, be careful about using one product after another on the same surface. If you must use two separate products to clean and disinfect, wipe the surface thoroughly with water to remove all residue from the first product before using the second.
- When using bleach keep the area well-ventilated.
- Disinfectant sprays are meant to be used on surfaces, never on the body, pets, or food.
The CDC provides these directions for a proper bleach solution: 5 tablespoons of bleach per gallon of water, OR 4 teaspoons of bleach per quart of water. Make only as much bleach solution as you’ll need right now, because it starts to lose effectiveness after only about a day.